It hits me every now and then. It hits me hard. It’s debilitating. I used to smoke, drink, and eat way too much and sleep all day when I felt this way. Now I tend to watch too much TV and procrastinate and sleep all day. I cannot get anything done when I am like this. I get angry at myself. I hate this. I feel weak. I feel like I need help, yet that is the last thing I want. If I am honest, I hate feeling this way, yet I want to feel this way right now.

People are going to read this. I’m publishing this on my website. That scares me. I consider myself almost fearless, but admitting any weakness scares me. It’s not because I am one of those tough guys who refuses to admit when they are hurt or need help. It’s because I used to be a wuss who always needed help and always got hurt. And I fixed that about me. I changed. And now if I am hurt or need help, I have learned to fix myself.

But sometimes depression hits me before I even know it is coming. If I know it’s coming, I can take steps to prevent it. Once it hits me, the steps are the same, and I still know what to do, but I don’t want to do it.

Right now I want to lay in bed and sleep. I do not want to be writing this article. I do not want to admit my weakness. I do not want to feel better. I do not want a bunch of sympathy. I do not want a bunch of suggestions. I want everyone to fuck off and leave me alone.

When I was in a relationship, it was easier. I had to get over depression fast when I was in a relationship because I had to set an example. I had to be the man.

When I felt bad I would usually make my girlfriend feel good. It made me feel better. Of course, more than once I was an asshole about it. I sometimes took it all out on her, then convinced her that it was all her fault, and then apologized, and then we both felt better.

I hope I never do that again.

But now that I am single, I am alone with my thoughts.

I just made a lot of commitments with this magazine, and I have to keep moving. I don’t have time to wallow. I don’t have time to do what I have done in the past, which is to just accept the fact that I am “in a funk,” feel what I feel, and know that I will get over it.

I am prone to depression. I’ve been through a lot and sometimes memories make life hard. I am writing a book about it (or I should say I am trying to write a book about it) and it messes me up. But I always get over it because I know what to do.

1. I exercise. Sometimes I don’t feel like I can move a pound, but I do it anyway. It’s so difficult to work out when I’m depressed. But I go to the gym, I take my time, and I move my body and I move weight. I turn my desire to self destruct into a desire to hurt myself via physical exertion.
2. I exercise. Sometimes I don’t feel like I can move a pound, but I do it anyway. It’s so difficult to work out when I’m depressed. But I go to the gym, I take my time, and I move my body and I move weight. I turn my desire to self destruct into a desire to hurt myself via physical exertion.
3. I make sure I get enough B vitamins. And I don’t do stupid things like go out drinking which wipes out my B vitamins and exacerbates the problem. (Please ignore the fact that I did this last night.)
4. I get enough healthy fats, which are needed to process B vitamins.
5. I make sure my diet is clean, even though I do crave junk food when I am depressed.
6. I get sunlight. I sunbathe. I don’t use sunscreen. If it’s cloudy I will take vitamin D.
7. I get grounded. I connect with the earth. I put my bare feet on the ground. I walk. I sit. I smell.
8. I focus on the little things and on the interesting.
9. I stay in the moment. There are no problems in the moment.
10. I clean up. My home represents how I feel. So does my appearance. I clean myself up and I clean my home.

But I don’t feel like doing any of this right now. I don’t give a damn. I just want to feel depressed and be angry at myself for being depressed. I want to hurt. I’d like to get in the ring with someone and either beat the crap out of them or get the crap beat out of me. Either one would be good. That would be worth getting out of bed for.

But I don’t have that option.

Normally, I would give it a day or two, feel how I feel, and then start doing the list whether I wanted to or not.

I don’t have time to just let this pass. I don’t have a couple of days to feel depressed and do nothing.

So I am putting this out there. I am publishing this for all of my friends, family, and magazine readers to see. And After I publish this I am going to go running at 12am. Then I am going to get a bunch of work done no matter how hard it is. Because there is one character trait I have developed throughout my life that has helped me in many situations and will help me here. I cannot admit that I have a problem without deciding to fix it. I cannot admit that I have a weakness without choosing to strengthen myself. I cannot write this article, publish it on the website for the world to see, and then go back to bed.

I don’t know if this will help anyone. It is certainly written more for me than anyone else. But I have an idea. To insure that this article could help people, I propose that readers comment below and tell us how they deal with depression.

What do you do? Maybe you feel a little down and you know just what to do to cheer yourself up. Or maybe you suffer from clinical, debilitating depression and it is a constant battle in your life, and you know a few things that help.

Now I am going to go running. Damn. I really just want to go back to bed.

Recommended Supplements:

• B-Complex #6  – Thorne Research
• Omega-D3 – Nordic Naturals
• Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Natural Remedies for Depression
• How I Overcame Depression Naturally
• Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium
• Alleviate Depression Naturally
• How Candida Leads to Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Other Mental Disorders
• Vitamin B6 and What You Should Know About it
• How I Overcame-Depression Naturally
• The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them

Environmental Issues are taking a toll

Take for example the issue of global warming. For years those of us who believed in global warming were laughed at and berated. Year after year we watched our ice caps melting while government officials and the scientific community claimed climate change was fiction. Study after study was ignored, but videos of glaciers breaking up and polar bears drifting on blocks of ice finally got through to the general population. Common sense prevailed. Science caught up.

So now we face another critical situation. Our food and water is being poisoned. Genetically modified foods are contaminating our food supply both through processed foods and by cross pollination. Our water is fluoridated even though studies show fluoride is toxic and doesn’t necessarily prohibit tooth decay. Our food is poisoned with herbicides and pesticides. We now grow foods with built in pesticides. We feed cows, pigs, and chickens antibiotics, hormones, and genetically modified feed. We allow companies like Monsanto to do their own safety testing. Our food supply has become one huge, dangerous scientific experiment. Cancer, auto-immune disease, asthma, ADHD, autism, obesity—they all tell us we are in deep trouble.

And yet, so many people believe our food is good for us. That poisons don’t affect us. That our government protects us.

We have to keep spreading the word, educating Americans about how big business is destroying our health, our soil, our seed supply, and our food supply. We have to make our leaders accountable. Our voices are growing stronger. We are beginning to turn the tide. If we persevere, one day we will tip the scales.

We need to realize the power we hold through consumerism. Buy organic. Stop supporting big business, especially those businesses that are destroying our food supply. Make noise. Spread the word. Share a link to Organic Lifestyle Magazine with all of your friends.

As our numbers grow and we demand healthy food along with our right to alternative health care, our leaders will have no choice but to listen. And suddenly the idea of eating untested genetically modified foods along with herbicides and poisons or eating meat full of hormones and antibiotics from animals raised on feed their bodies cannot properly digest will be seen for what it is, suicidal behavior. When our numbers grow, common sense will prevail. We can do it. We can tip the scales.